With Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' impending retirement, President Obama gets his second opportunity in as many years to make an appointment to the country's highest court.
Speculation is swirling as to who's on the shortlist to replace the nonagenarian; we line them up.

Sure, you've heard about her moose-hunting, her hunky working-stiff hubby and her pregnant teenage daughter. But do you know Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin better than she knows the Bush Doctrine? Test your Palin trivia prowess with this Daily News quiz. By Celeste Katz.

In the aftermath of Barack Obama's landslide victory and the new Democratic majority in Congress, the GOP has had to quickly remake the party's image on the fly. So who now has the clout to set the Republican agenda this year, in 2012 and beyond? Here's our list.

The latest American epic will require picture-perfect casting. Dennis Quaid and Julianne Moore have already nabbed spots as Bill and Hillary Clinton in an HBO film. We've considered the rest of today’s political pack, and here’s our Hollywood wish list.

Facing an historic recession, wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan and global terrorism, President-Elect Barack Obama is moving faster than any previous incoming President in making his cabinet selections. So far, he's invited these people to join him at the table.

With a Democrat sailing into the White House and strengthened majorities in both chambers, New York’s Congressional delegation is feeling a newfound power. Next question: How will the delegation exercise it? By Celeste Katz

Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama share at least one thing in common: Both have trumpeted their status as agents of change ready to usher in a new era in Washington politics. The two presidential candidates, however, haven't always been able to steer clear of controversies.

Republican Sarah Palin criticized a version of a Barack Obama health care plan that doesn't exist and Democrat Joe Biden clung to a misleading charge about Republicans and big oil when the two clashed in the vice presidential debate Thursday. Here are some examples of facts cast adrift in the debate.

TV debate performances can make a difference, especially in a close election. Here are some examples from the New York Daily News' Washington Bureau:

Looking the Part: In the first one in 1960, Richard M. Nixon had a five o'clock shadow and sweated. John F. Kennedy was tanned, relaxed, and came across as more fit to be President. He also won, barely.

How can Barack Obama erase doubts about his readiness to be commander in chief? How can John McCain get back the momentum he's lost? Opinions editor Joshua Greenman has advice for both in advance of their first face-off Friday night at the University of Mississippi.

When Barack Obama quipped that "you can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig," it struck many as a play off Sarah Palin’s now-famous comment that lipstick is the only the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull. John McCain's campaign quicked leveled charges of sexism over Obama's remark. It was just the latest salvo in a presidential race that has been dogged by allegations of racism and sexism.

During their run as MSNBC's anchors for political coverage, the opinionated pair of Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews were able to push the guest's buttons - not to mention their own. Not all of the results were good.

Since Madison Avenue has made popular music the center of the American marketing universe, and nothing is marketed more intensely than presidential candidates, it's not surprising that pop songs have already sparked controversy in the McCain-Obama race.

If political conventions are supposed to unify parties and rally the troops, both Democrats and Republicans can claim success. But along with the winners leaving the convention hall, there were losers, too.

Chicago's Loop reeked of tear gas when Daily News Washington bureau chief Thomas M. DeFrank arrived at the 1968 Democratic convention. On the eve of the Democrats’ 2008 conclave, DeFrank, who has covered 18 national conventions, recalls 40 years of highlights and lowlights.

Pollsters say that, at the end of the day, no one votes for vice president. But that may be less true than ever in the case of Barack Obama and John McCain, two presidential contenders whose personal profiles seem to cry out for reinforcement in different ways.